Title: The Tenant
Author: Katrine Engberg
Series: Korner/Werner, #1
Published: January 2020, Gallery/Scout Press
Format: ARC Paperback, 368 pages
Source: Publisher
Summary:
An electrifying work of literary suspense from international bestselling author KatrineEngberg, this stunning debut introduces two police detectives struggling to solve a shocking murder and stop a killer hell-bent on revenge.
When a young woman is discovered brutally murdered in her own apartment, with an intricate pattern of lines carved into her face, Copenhagen police detectives Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner are assigned to the case. In short order, they establish a link between the victim, Julie Stender, and her landlady, Esther de Laurenti, who’s a bit too fond of drink and the host of raucous dinner parties with her artist friends. Esther also turns out to be a budding novelist—and when Julie turns up as a murder victim in the still-unfinished mystery she’s writing, the link between fiction and real life grows both more urgent and more dangerous.
But Esther’s role in this twisted scenario is not quite as clear as it first seems. Is she the culprit—or just another victim, trapped in a twisted game of vengeance? Anette and Jeppe must dig more deeply into the two women’s pasts to discover the identity of the brutal puppet-master pulling the strings in this electrifying literary thriller.
My thoughts:
As you all know I love a good mystery/thriller but when you add in a literary element to it, it just amps up the suspense and that is exactly what we have here. This was one of my most excited finds at BookExpo this last Spring – as soon as I read about this one being available, I knew I had to get my hands on it and I’m so glad I did as I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait to continue reading the series!
This is the first book in Danish author Katrine Engberg’s new series. It’s already been published over in Scandinavia and is just now making its English debut. I can only hope the other books will also be translated.
This is a dark, gritty book but it’s also one of those books within a book that I happen to love. The murder mirrors that of an unpublished manuscript and it is eerie just how similar some of the events that take place are. Is Esther acting out her scenes in real life or is someone trying to get some type of revenge on her?
I loved that there was so much going on in this book. It starts off right in the action, so to speak, and never really stops. Each time you think you might have something worked out, something new comes to light to steer you in a new direction. All the moving parts really keep you on your toes in this one and yet, it is perfectly balanced to still introduce us to the series – to set the scene as it is to introduce our detectives.
The two detectives investigating the case are quite the pair. They are prickly and seem to irritate each other quite often – they often act like an old married couple! The book seemed to focus more on Jeppe Korner than Anette Werner but perhaps next book it will be the opposite? I hope so as I would like to learn a bit more about her other than that she is in a happy marriage. He, on the other hand, is recently divorced and not adjusting well. His emotional state is all over the road and I definitely think there is more going on here.
This was such a compelling read that is full of twists and turns. It is full of characters that keep you guessing as to whether they could be behind everything. I had my guesses as to what was going on but I was never on the right track.
I really enjoyed this book and am definitely planning on continuing with the series. I just hope they translate the other books soon!
